You’d expect contractors and designers to know what they’re doing. They’re supposed to be professionals, after all! Unfortunately, there’s always the chance that when you pay to have your house renovated, you might get unlucky and hire a substandard team. Some of them cut corners to save on costs, are sloppier than a tray of sloppy joes, and have the common sense and aesthetic insights of a box of rusty tools.
DIY and home design expert, and TikTok content creator Kaitlin Mattes, @theedelweisshaus, has filmed a hilarious series of videos where she revealed how she bought a new home and eventually found out just how horribly the house was flipped. Before the purchase, she saw the home virtually while in New York to take care of the kids, while her husband was able to view the house in person, as he was already in Massachusetts. In the videos, she identifies the mistakes that were made and comments on everything with some of the most creative and polite insults we have ever heard.
We couldn’t wait to share the ‘horribly flipped house host’s’ insights with all of you Pandas. They’re entertaining but also act as a gentle warning for anyone looking into buying flipped houses. You’ll find the design mistakes she spotted in her house after moving in as you scroll down. Meanwhile, here are the links to Kaitlin's first and latest videos in the series.
Bored Panda reached out to Kaitlin for a friendly chat about her witty video series, her new home, her aspirations, and what keeps her passionate about DIY, home design, and TikTok. "In true turning 'lemons into lemonade' fashion, I thought it would be a fun way to bring light to the situation we were dealing with in our home. As a content creator, I'm always looking for fun content and this was perfect!" she told us that she was having fun and had no idea that it would go viral.
Kaitlin moved into a flipped house with her family and quickly realized that the contractors had made a ton of mistakes
Image credits: theedelweisshaus
According to Kaitlin, there is "a bit of a pandemic among quickly flipped or built homes." She revealed that she's gotten tons of messages from people in similar situations. Alas, she isn't alone! "They were living in situations where cut corners caused a great deal of stress and in some cases, severe financial despair for them." However, this doesn't entirely mean that you should avoid flipped homes like the plague. Read on for our full interview with Kaitlin. If you enjoyed her videos, be sure to follow her on TikTok and on Instagram for her freshest videos.
Her funny and insightful videos about what was messed up in her home quickly went viral and launched her to internet fame. Here's the first TikTok in the series
#21
This massive slam. It literally sounded like the oven just got up to run out the door. I am terrified. It was so loud and I come in the kitchen thinking I'm gonna find something scary and look, oh, isn't that lovely?
And I look a little bit further and you know why, these 'potato chips' did not grout anything under here. They literally just slapped it on. I can't.
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16points
However, keep an eye out for contractors who maliciously cut corners. One red flag to look for is someone who uses materials that aren’t fit for the purpose. For instance, a big no-no is using non-weather-resistant woods (e.g. ash, oak, pine) outdoors.
In general, the more you know about design, DIY, building, and architecture, the more you’re likely to notice when things are going wrong. It’s also something that you pick up through life experience. Learning who to trust to renovate your home falls into that category.
#22
Entering into our primary bathroom, not only did you do a wonderful job on your tile cutting, we've got already water damage on our sheet rock.
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16points
#23
"Worm children" have figured out that these are the butt holes of our stairs and they filled them with Legos and rocks. This morning I found granola mixed in with yesterday's buggers.
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14points
#24
We see a normal vanity cabinet. What in the Gray Poupon has this 'shoe' done to the cabinet? This is horrific.
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14points
No house is ever ‘perfect’ or truly ‘finished’—they’re all works in progress. It depends on each family what interior design mistakes they’re willing to put up with. Some small mistakes even give the home a unique, charming character. Others might propel you to internet fame, as you vent about them on TikTok.
#25
I could see behind the toilet that there was actually wallpaper. You cannot paint over wallpaper.
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14points
#26
This nice little modernish awning that they put on. It's cute. I like it actually.
Well, let's dive in deeper. So it's held up by three brackets or is it? Okay, so it's not hanging on by anything there. Great. Can't learn about studs if you're not one. And I'm sure one of these days I'm gonna be inside of this giant bear trap. Thanks a lot.
Well, let's dive in deeper. So it's held up by three brackets or is it? Okay, so it's not hanging on by anything there. Great. Can't learn about studs if you're not one. And I'm sure one of these days I'm gonna be inside of this giant bear trap. Thanks a lot.
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13points
#28
It's actually not hard. It's basic math. You spoons. Could you not have figured out a half an inch to each square to make it all the same?
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9points
#29
Here's the thing, hazelnut, how is it so hard to use joint compound but also finish your work.
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7points
#30
Certainly couldn't be bothered to put a cover plate on that, you fermented pickle.
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5points